What does a successful alternative to the iPad look like?

[gadget123]

You realize the iPad is a tablet right? So while not all tablets interest you, ones with iOS seem to.

Yes I realise it's a tablet I just mean I like my big Ipod touch and don't really think of it as a silly tablet device.

Calling it a tablet reminds me of the other poor devices around.

 

[fertilized-egg]

This OR runs nothing but a web browser, does it well, and costs $99.

Ah, that's like the mythical CrunchPad, which in turn became JooJoo which failed in a spectacular - or non-descriptive if you will - fashion.

Unfortunately IMHO this won't happen because a good web browser needs three things:

1) fast CPU: spitting out HTML into rendered pages and running JavaScript can be pretty intensive. Even the latest ARM-based tablets are still way behind desktop CPUs in this speed.

2) Sizable good display with responsive multitouch: You're likely to read it up close so you cannot have a crappy screen, preferably ~10" diagonal at least. Ditto for zoom in&out.

3) A decent amount of RAM if you care about tabs.

What you have is basically an iPad or a standard Honeycomb tablet, only without any extra port and flash storage. So there's just no way one could fulfill these criteria with a $100 device. Web browsing is a pretty demanding task. If a tablet can do that well, it can do other things with relative ease.

 

[yodaxl7]

My problem is, I suppose I just don't have a use for an iPad really.

I may listen to a podcast at night, but I could use anything for that.

I buy games, but almost never play them for more than a few goes (with a rare few exceptions)

I find it very slow using the web compared to my PC, just editing postings, copying links and flipping between pages, copying and pasting links is just a pain in the butt.

The screen is too small, and it does not have the power, the screen size, as I said, or the controls in order to run the programs I wish to run.

It's not that it's a bad device, its just a jack of all trades and master of none really.

Almost anything it does can be done better on another device.

One could say, it's worse at everything if you are being cruel.
If I'm being kind, then I'd say it's great at some things, but at the moment it's being asked to do things that just are not suitable for such a device.

And I'm talking fundamental issues, like a touch screen is only really suitable for some things. In the same way you would not take 1 design of car and try and make it do everything. No your would pick the car most suitable for the job.

Examples? You can say that about any devices. All devices have limitations. Laptops are not that portable and it depends on size. Laptops are not that useful either. I rarely use my laptop. All computing devices need apps. Laptop is limiting because the apps are substantially more expensive. iPad is quite useful due to apps being affordable. Would you spend a game that cost 40 dollars like you see on the Wii or 1 dollar on the iPad?? There is a new game on the 3ds that cost 40 dollars that is not worth it at all. I think it is the submarine game. Angry bird is a simple concept and it is addictive and entertaining and quite affordable on the iPad. Laptops are more powerful but useless. Unless, you can afford final cut pro suite of the past that costed 1200 dollar. iPad introduces a new way to play games or run a program. iPad is still basically new.